Book ID: CBB547901266

Sugar and Civilization: American Empire and the Cultural Politics of Sweetness (2015)

unapi

Merleaux, April (Author)


The University of North Carolina Press


Publication Date: 2015
Physical Details: 320
Language: English

In the weeks and months after the end of the Spanish-American War, Americans celebrated their nation's triumph by eating sugar. Each of the nation's new imperial possessions, from Puerto Rico to the Philippines, had the potential for vastly expanding sugar production. As victory parties and commemorations prominently featured candy and other sweets, Americans saw sugar as the reward for their global ambitions. April Merleaux demonstrates that trade policies and consumer cultures are as crucial to understanding U.S. empire as military or diplomatic interventions. As the nation's sweet tooth grew, people debated tariffs, immigration, and empire, all of which hastened the nation's rise as an international power. These dynamics played out in the bureaucracies of Washington, D.C., in the pages of local newspapers, and at local candy counters. Merleaux argues that ideas about race and civilization shaped sugar markets since government policies and business practices hinged on the racial characteristics of the people who worked the land and consumed its products. Connecting the history of sugar to its producers, consumers, and policy makers, Merleaux shows that the modern American sugar habit took shape in the shadow of a growing empire.

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Reviewed By

Review David Singerman (2016) Review of "Sugar and Civilization: American Empire and the Cultural Politics of Sweetness". Agricultural History (pp. 416-417). unapi

Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB547901266/

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Authors & Contributors
Trujillo-Pagan, Nicole Elise
Robert L. Johnson
Joanne Ryan
Osgood, Robert V.
Thurston H. G. Hahn
Patricia O'Reilly
Concepts
Agriculture
Sugar and sugar industry
Plantations
Colonialism
United States, colonies
Industrial archaeology
Time Periods
19th century
20th century
20th century, early
20th century, late
Places
Puerto Rico
United States
Philippines
Cuba
Caribbean
Haciena Buena Vista
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